I read with some amusement a warning Ben (Lucky) from One Mile at A Time received from T-Mobile. My unsolicited recommendation is simple: switch to Verizon.
Let me start with this disclaimer. I am not a Verizon cheerleader and only begrudgingly switched from T-Mobile last year after multiple service failures. I take no joy in paying the premium for Verizon, but do so for the reasons I will outline below.
Going back to Lucky, he signed up for T-Mobile’s Global Plus Plan, which gives you:
- 15GB high-speed data while roaming in a Simple Global country
- 5GB monthly high-speed, international tethering in a Simple Global country
- Unlimited free Simple Global to Simple Global calling + messaging
- Unlimited Stateside International Talk and Text
The cost of this is $50/month on top of the prevailing service rate.
He’s been traveling a lot lately and recently received the following text message from T-Mobile:
The majority of the last two months of T-Mobile usage on your line has been roaming internationally. If this line continues to roam extensively abroad over the next month, the use will violate our terms and conditions, and your roaming usage will be blocked on February 26 2019. See details: t-mo.co/roaming
In other words, an invitation for him to stream Netflix while he sleeps in order to balance out the usage. Is T-Mobile really that dumb? Does 15GB/month really not mean 15GB?
Buried in the fine print of the contract is the following provision:
Unless explicitly permitted by your Rate Plan or Data Plan, you are not permitted to use your Device or the Services in a way that we determine results in more than 50% of your voice and/or data usage being Off-Net (i.e., connected to another provider’s network) for any 2 billing cycles within any 12-month period.
Thus, “unlimited” doesn’t mean unlimited and “15GB” doesn’t mean 15GB.
My Experience With Verizon
Verizon is not cheap. I just returned from 23 days in Europe and paid $10/day for up to 500MB of high speed data on my phone. $230 is not chump change and I would rather not spend that kind of money.
But it’s worth it. Oh my goodness, is it worthwhile. The internet is fast wherever I go. I can tether wherever I go. If that’s the price to stay connected without playing these annoying games, then fine. I’ll pay. Just leave me alone and ensure I am always connected. Some months I spend more time in Europe than in the USA. I don’t want to switch SIM cards. I don’t want to fear being throttled.
Stateside, my rate of dropped calls has plummeted and I was pleased to enjoy reception for the first time during my annual trip to Green Lake. Tethering also works well and data speeds have been faster than what I was clocking in on with T-Mobile.
> Read More: I Just Divorced T-Mobile
CONCLUSION
I’m not extolling Verizon. They’re too expensive and I hope that T-Mobile continues to improve and puts downward pricing pressure on Verizon. But Lucky, don’t waste your time. It’s not worth the hassle to deal with threatening text messages and intermittent connections. Google Fi is also not all its cracked up to be. And no, there is no way I am giving up my iPhone. I hope we both end up back at T-Mobile one day, but for now I’m a happy camper with Verizon. Time is money.
I love T-MOBILE and it is a great value, especially if you travel internationally intermittently. I bet they will keep Lucky as a customer.
You are correct, but Lucky does not travel internationally intermittently.
Do you have an iPhone XS? There’s another option: use the dual sim feature. I just did this on Verizon a month ago and saved $140 on a trip to France.
Convert your line into an eSIM.
https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/a41s40/switching_from_physical_sim_to_esim/?st=JR2D51IO&sh=b0e35783
They don’t have the capability of doing it at the Verizon store yet, so I used online chat and got it done.
Remove your SIM card. Disable TravelPass just for safety (every time you use data, or SEND an sms, or dial out (even if you’re using WiFi calling!), it triggers another session), and disable data roaming on the iPhone.
Buy local SIM at airport. I bought an Orange holiday sim for €40 with 15 gigs of data. Configure the iPhone to use the second SIM for data only.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044
You can still use iMessage and iOS services beautifully on your regular phone number. You can also pick which SIM to make phone calls. Note: WiFi calling still triggers your plan if you’re out of the country (which is idiotic)- so, may have to use an American VPN if you really want to use your own phone number to dial out for free on WiFi calling. You’ll still be able to receive calls on your American number (and choose to ignore them). Can also pick up a Verizon roaming add-on plan for like 100 minutes / 100 megs, just in case.
Best feature of the new iPhone!
It is a lot easier and less complex than I made it sound, but it can save a ton of money. If you were abroad for 23 days, could use 1-2 days of travelpass, then disable it (or get a light roaming plan) then add that second SIM.
I do.
According to Verizon TravelPass doesn’t work like you claim. Instead “Wi-Fi calls to US numbers are free, even while traveling internationally.“; see this page: https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/wifi-calling-faqs/
Sadly, I have been charged for it a number of times. The explanation I received was that it still counts as “minutes” (which are deducted from an unlimited pool), and as such it triggers “usage” under TravelPass such that the $10 is charged — since it’s interpreted as “making a phone call while overseas”. There is no charge at all for the phone call whatsoever, but somehow it triggers use under TravelPass (your link doesn’t address the TravelPass situation). I was able to get the charges waived on all those occasions. However, my experiences were back in 2015-2016 in Mexico, Europe and Asia — things may have changed, but TravelPass can trigger pretty easily, so be prepared to argue with Verizon CS, although they are pretty good about refunding fees.
Google Fi is working great on my iPhone X and Pixel XL 3 with no throttling in 170+ countries with no limit on how long you can use it outside of the US, unlike TMobile where you have to pay for faster data. Of course, I have TMobile as a backup when I am in a country like Vietnam, which Google Fi isn’t available in.
TMobile is that dumb. Just stream Netflix at night problem solved. No need to bend over for Verizon.
Anyone have any experience in having an Android phone and getting a new phone. How to copy the memos, photos, and contacts? I have Lookout security, if that helps. I think Google has some way to do it.
Can one change from T-Mobile to Verizon and still use the same phone?
Don’t use Verizon. They are a rip-off company. First of all, they don’t use “Sim” cards, well they do now, but their network standard is different than with regular sim cards and to get the full potential of the network you need a compatible phone. Not every phone is compatible with Verizon’s network. Big downside, as many great phones won’t work on the network. Also if you want android updates for your phone, you will wait extra weeks, sometimes months until you get the update other users already got while buying a non-branded phone. Verizon makes you pay a monthly fee for stuff like visual voicemail or Advanced Caller ID, which are standard on Samsung phones but got removed on the Verizon firmware. They try to rip you off wherever they can.
Google FI actually works on iPhone, in addition to that, you never pay more than 80$ a month with bill protection.
https://fi.google.com/compatibility
I just did the opposite, switched from Verizon to T-Mobile and couldn’t be happier. Verizon worked horrendously most places (like I couldn’t even get 4G half the time I was in San Francisco). T-Mobile works so much better, and we’re paying the same right now for an unlimited plan with unlimited 3G international internet (that worked well the first time I tried it last month in Germany and Ireland) that we were paying Verizon for 10GB of data and no international data.
It’s a no brainer. Verizon sucks!
It seems like a large share of your travel is to Europe, you could get a second SIM from any EU country and it is valid across the whole of the EU as if it was being used on the “home” country for that provider. Seems a reasonably non-labour intensive solution to avoid spending 10 dollars a day. Looking at around $200 for a year for 5GB per month Sim-only contract. Topping up a prepaid one may be cheaper mind.
Maybe look into getting a EU based Sim-card. Carrier “3” from Denmark offers “3 Like Home” on its plans.
20 GB pr. month costs ~23 $ (calls and txt are free)
Works in 63 countries around the world with no limits. The EU, USA, Canada, China, Thailand, Singapore Australia, Brazil, ect..
Consider using SkyRoam instead